Original format: 16mm, color, silent (transferred from Digital Betacam copy)

Silent footage featuring the groundbreaking for the Sanislo Elementary School in the South Delridge neighborhood on February 6, 1970. The school was named for longtime West Seattle resident Stephen E. Sanislo (March 20, 1962), a 54-year veteran of the Seattle Fire Department. Captain Sanislo spent 31 years educating Seattle schoolchildren on fire safety and, in 1942, was officially named education director for the fire department. His talks, accompanied by his imaginary dog “Skipper,” combined storytelling and harmonica-playing. Footage includes scenes of a bulldozer being used to clear surround vegetation; a crowd watches as children in red plastic fire hats and adults including Sanislo’s widow, Irene L. Sanislo and an unidentified man in uniform shovel dirt for the ceremonial groundbreaking; shots of the Seattle Fire Departments’ S.A.F.E. program folder (given out in schools as part of the fire safety curriculum); Irene L. Sanislo hands folders to children and appears to be describing the folders to the camera; children in fire hats pose with folders and shovels; multiple shots of children gathered and walking along a muddy road near the site; a dog runs along the water; children gather by a fire truck with firefighters; surrounding area and a shot of the sign for school.

Item 864, Record Series 2801-11, Seattle Fire Department Moving Images